Hiawatha was a pre-colonial Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. Depending on the version of the narrative, he was a leader of the Onondaga, or the Mohawk or both. According to some versions, he was born an Onondaga, but adopted into the Mohawk.

We caught up with ADK Shake’s Patrick Siler, writer of Hiawatha, who spoke with enthusiasm about Hiawatha and the season ahead.

“This is by far our busiest season to date,” Patrick told Schroon Laker.

“As we grow, and what we have done since our inception, is to bring theatre to a young audience. Hiawatha continues this tradition”.

From humble beginnings eight years ago, the ADK Shakes Company has grown in size, the number of performances and ambition.

Patrick is most proud of what he and artist director Tara Bradway have developed: a flourishing not-for-profit, professional theatre company serving the Adirondack Region of upstate New York and beyond.

Congrats to the entire company on Season 8 and break a leg. Here are the summer dates for Hiawatha throughout the North Country.

Could Ticonderoga have been held by the Continental Army in 1777? Was its loss a disaster or a prudent retreat? Create your own answers to questions that have enthralled officers and armchair generals alike for 239 years. For the answers, head to Fort Ticonderoga on Friday (July 8!)

Even in 1777, as the British Army prepared to drive south from Ticonderoga, the July 8th, 1758 Battle of Carillon loomed large on this landscape. Legendary within the British & American army, personally remembered by many senior officers in both, this battle filled Ticonderoga with far more meaning than merely its strategic location. March out to the “Old French Lines,” where American soldiers entrenched themselves on the very same ground General Montcalm’s French soldiers defended in 1758. Set among the surviving American earthworks, imagine the great charges across a bare forest of tree stumps towards the twisted tree tops and stacked logs of the first French Lines. Remember those regular and provincial soldiers who fell, fighting for this ground in 1758.

Visitors Schedule:

9:30 AM: Fort Opens to Visitors

10:15 AM: Key to the Continent Tour: The Year of the Hangman (Begins at the American Flag)

Could Ticonderoga have been held by the Continental Army in 1777? Was its loss a disaster or a prudent retreat? Create your own answers to questions that have enthralled officers and armchair generals alike for 239 years. Explore how two decades of military occupation culminated with rich cultures and characters at Ticonderoga in 1777.

11:00 AM: Musket Demonstration (Demonstration Area)

Artillerymen were first trained as soldiers. In a pinch, soldiers were trained to serve the artillery. Discover how muskets and carbines, slung across the backs of cannon crews, were vital in the defense of their guns, their positions, and their lives.

11:30 AM: Battle of Carillon Commemoration(Begins at the American Flag)

March behind the Fifes and Drums of Fort Ticonderoga up to the Carillon battlefield to lay a wreath in remembrance of this immense battle.

Exhibitions staff will lead you on a guided tour of this remarkable museum's highlights. Beginning more than a century ago, the Fort Ticonderoga museum has North America's largest and most important collection of 18th-century military material culture. Get the scoop on the most significant, rare, and interesting pieces in the collection.

11:45 AM: Breaking Ground: A Tour of the Historic Gardens (Begins in the King’s Garden)

From military garrison gardens to a secluded colonial revival commemorative spectacle of color and light, explore one of the oldest cultivated landscapes in America. Discover the layers of horticultural history of the Ticonderoga peninsula.

12:30 PM: Fife and Drum Concert (Parade Ground)

Listen to stirring tunes that eased the drudgery of a long march, or the many calls that regulated activity in the fort. Explore how drumbeats, trilling fifes and songs created an 18th-century world of military music.

1:15 PM: Key to the Continent Tour: The Year of the Hangman (Begins at the American Flag)

Could Ticonderoga have been held by the Continental Army in 1777? Was its loss a disaster or a prudent retreat? Create your own answers to questions that have enthralled officers and armchair generals alikefor 239 years. Explore how two decades of military occupation culminated with rich cultures and characters at Ticonderoga in 1777.

2:00 PM: Cannon Demonstration (Demonstration Area)

Don’t let the wooden wheels fool you, the cannon and its carriage was an intricate piece of military hardware. Discover the surprising power of a well-drilled cannon crew operating this finely-tuned weapon.

2:30 PM: Garden March (Begins at the American Flag)

Follow the Fifes & Drums of Fort Ticonderoga down to the King’s Garden. Enjoy your favorite 18th century tunes and marches, with this corps as your musical guide.

Exhibitions staff will lead you on a guided tour of this remarkable museum's highlights. Beginning more than a century ago, the Fort Ticonderoga museum has North America's largest and most important collection of 18th-century military material culture. Get the scoop on the most significant, rare, and interesting pieces in the collection.

2:45 PM Breaking Ground: A Tour of the Historic Gardens (Begins in the King’s Garden)

From military garrison gardens to a secluded colonial revival commemorative spectacle of color and light, explore one of the oldest cultivated landscapes in America. Discover the layers of horticultural history of the Ticonderoga peninsula.

3:00 PM Key to the Continent Tour: The Year of the Hangman (Begins at the American Flag)

Could Ticonderoga have been held by the Continental Army in 1777? Was its loss a disaster or a prudent retreat? Create your own answers to questions that have enthralled officers and armchair generals alike for 239 years. Explore how two decades of military occupation culminated with rich cultures and characters at Ticonderoga in 1777.

4:00 PM Mount Defiance: Witness to History Tour (Begins at the Summit of Mount Defiance)

Oh the stories this graceful hill overlooking Fort Ticonderoga could tell! As Fort Ticonderoga relives 1777, discover the unique tactical role of Mount Defiance in the story of this decisive campaign.

For more information, call (518) 585-2821. Here’s the info on how you can buy tickets.

For locals and our summer visitors -- Schroon continues to wear its crown proudly of being the Kids Capitol of the North Country. And there is so much to do this summer. If you haven't discovered this incredible resource, with a dedicated staff, go say hi. The library is located on the second floor of the Town Building.

The students of the Seagle Music Colony’s class of 2016 proudly present a special performance for kids of all ages in July.

The company performs the children’s opera Jack and the Beanstalk at the Boathouse Theater in Schroon on July 9.

Another terrific opportunity for the whole family to see the world class talent who will call Schroon home for the summer is this coming Saturday, when the Colony kicks off its second century with a Community Concert at the Schroon Lake Central School at 7:30 pm.

The show will be part season preview and part revue of favorites from season’s past. Tickets are just $10 for adults and $5 for students and children and can be purchased at the door, online at www.seaglecolony.org, or by phone at 518-532-7875.

You can also see the SMC singers at the patriotic July 4 concert in the Town Park prior to the fireworks display.

After a huge centennial season in 2015, the crew at Seagle Music Colony plan yet another ambitious season of performances for 2016. Following the Community Concert is the traditional concert Old Friends and New that will introduce this year’s crop of 32 talented young singers to Schroon Lake. The concert takes place on Saturday, June 25 at 8:00 pm at the Oscar Seagle Memorial Theater on the SMC campus on Charley Hill Road.

The mainstage season of productions at the Colony this year includes two favorite musicals, a traditional comic opera and an exciting world premiere. Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella, will be presented July 6-9 with a matinee performance on July 8. This will be followed by Donizetti’s comic opera, The Elixir of Love, sung in Italian with projected English supertitles, July 20-23, with a matinee on the 22nd.

In the third slot is the world premiere of Roscoe by composer Evan Mack and librettist Joshua McGuire, based on the novel of the same name by Pulitzer Prize winning Albany author William Kennedy. “The world premiere will be a highlight of the season, and we couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the first year of our second century than with something that’s never been performed anywhere else,” said Tony Kostecki, SMC General Director. He continued, “we’re thinking of this premiere as something that will be another real milestone in our history, and are excited for our audiences to see it, and for our young artists to perform it.” The opera will be presented August 3-6 with a matinee performance on August 5.

Then there’s the annual Patrice Munsel Gala fundraising event on July 16 and two Vespers Concerts on Sundays, August 14 and 21 – one of SMC’s longest running traditions

Rounding out the mainstage season is the perennial favorite The Music Man by Meredith Willson, which will be presented August 17-20 with a matinee on August 19.

In case you can’t make it to any of SMC’s summer performances, make plans for Seagle Music Colony’s fifth annual fall season which this year includes the musical revue called Great Songs & Great Singers, which will be a part of the Schroon Lake Labor Day Weekend celebrations on Sunday, September 4 at 7:30 pm, and will also be on tour across the North Country throughout September.

In any case, there will be a lot going on at Seagle Music Colony this summer and fall! Find more information, buy tickets or contribute to the cause at www.seaglecolony.org.